The Grand Canyon again
beckoned me to run in its depths.With
the road to the North Rim still open and a long Thanksgiving weekend, I took
the opportunity to travel one more time this season to experience this wonder
of the world.I hoped to accomplish my
10th double crossing.But
this time, I wanted to do a more extreme variation.Instead of doing the typical double crossing
along the corridor trails (Bright Angel or South Kaibab),
I planned to accomplish probably the first double crossing from North Kaibab to Hermits Rest
and back.

Planned Route

A direct double crossing from North Kaibab to Hermits Rest and back would be about
77 miles.About 39 of those miles are
on “unmaintained” backcountry trails outside the
heavily traveled corridor trails.The Tonto Trail and Hermit Trail are much more remote and
rough.The risks are higher for a solo adventure
like this. I understood the dangers well.But I considered that because of the Thanksgiving weekend, I would
probably run into many backpackers using the Tonto
Trail to explore the region west of BrightAngelTrail.The temperature would be ideal.I should experience inner-canyon temperatures
between 60-35 degrees F.

Planned route (in
green)

Since I would be running 77 miles, why not round it up to
100 miles?I could accomplish my 6th
100-miler of the year.I looked at various
alternatives to stretch the run out and decided on this plan:I would do a direct run from the North Rim to
Hermits Rest and then if I still felt strong, I would add additional miles on
the Tonto Trail by doing an out-and-back further west
to Boucher Creek and then run all the way east to Cremation Creek before
heading back to the North Rim.That
would be more than 50 miles of running on the Tonto
Trail.If I was successful, this would
be the second time I had run 100 miles in one stretch in the Grand
Canyon.(See my double-double (4 trips)
crossing.)

I carefully planned my run.This double-crossing would require filtering water in creeks and
springs, and I would have to carry all of my food.I probably would be able to buy something at
Hermits Rest, but I didn’t want to count on it.Usually I run doubles with just a waist pack, but this time I would add
a 6-pound day pack.Included in the
pack would be some emergency items:A
blanket if I needed to bivouac, a CD for signaling, and a whistle.If I was going any more remote, I would rent
a satellite phone, but I felt I would be fine because I should still see people
on the trail during the day.I would
take food/powder/gel enough to intake 4,000 calories.

Planning Chart

Location

Miles

split

clock

time

water

temp
ºF

light

North Kaibab TH

0

0

4:00 AM

0:00:00

20

Dark

Cottonwood CG

6.9

6.9

5:30 AM

1:30:00

water

40

Dark

Phantom
Ranch

14

7.1

6:55 AM

2:55:00

water

45

Dawn

Indian
Garden CG

19.2

5.2

8:25 AM

4:25:00

water

45

Salt
Creek

26.5

7.3

10:15 AM

6:15:00

55

Monument
Creek

29.9

3.4

11:15 AM

7:15:00

creek

60

Hermit
Trail

32.2

2.3

11:55 AM

7:55:00

65

Santa
Maria Springs

36.4

4.2

2:25 PM

10:25:00

spring

60

Hermits
Rest

38.6

2.2

2:55 PM

10:55:00

water

55

Santa
Maria Springs

40.6

2

3:35 PM

11:35:00

spring

55

Hermit
Creek

46.2

5.6

5:50 PM

13:50:00

creek

60

Dusk

Boucher
Creek

51.5

5.3

7:20 PM

15:20:00

creek

55

Dark

Hermit
Creek

56.8

5.3

8:50 PM

16:50:00

creek

50

Dark

Monument
Creek

60.6

3.8

9:55 PM

17:55:00

creek

45

Dark

Salt
Creek

64

3.4

10:55 PM

18:55:00

45

Dark

Plateau
Point

71.3

7.3

12:55 AM

20:55:00

45

Dark

Indian
Garden CG

72.8

1.5

1:20 AM

21:20:00

water

40

Dark

S. Kaibab

77.6

4.8

2:35 AM

22:35:00

40

Dark

Cremation
Creek

80.2

2.6

3:15 AM

23:15:00

35

Dark

S. Kaibab

82.8

2.6

4:05 AM

24:05:00

35

Dark

Phantom
Ranch

85.7

2.9

5:00 AM

25:00:00

water

40

Dark

Cottonwood CG

92.8

7.1

7:00 AM

27:00:00

water

40

Dawn

North Kaibab TH

99.7

6.9

10:30 AM

30:30:00

30

I carefully considered what sections of the run would have sunlight.If I timed it right, the sun would be up on
the sections of trail that I had never seen before.I hoped to ascend and descend the difficult
Hermit Trail during the daylight.

Hermit Trail History

My ascent up the South Rim would be on the Hermit
Trail.The Hermit Trail, like many other
Grand Canyon trails, began as an Indian route.
The trail was improved by prospectors and was originally know as Horsethief Trail. A prospector, Dan Hogan, began
construction of the modern Hermit Trail in 1896. The trail was further improved
by the Santa Fe Railroad about fifteen years later. They used this trail as an
entry into the Canyon in an effort to bypass the toll that was currently being
charged for use of the BrightAngelTrail.A small camp, Hermit Camp, was constructed at
the end of the trail near Hermit Creek.Hermit Camp provided a stop-over point for parties headed for the
river.Visitors were brought down on
mules while an aerial tram lowered supplies from the rim.The camp was active until the 1930's. At that
point the National Park Service had acquired the BrightAngelTrail. With trailheads
closer to the railhead, the Santa Fe decided to
move their tourist operations into the Grand CanyonVillage
area.Hermit Camp is now abandoned and
the structures have been removed. Some of the foundations still remain and can
be seen from many points along the Hermit.

Don’t try this at
home kids

I worry that some unprepared readers may want to attempt
this route too.This adventure requires
rugged 100-mile ultra-level fitness and advanced experience in the Grand Canyon.Timing is critical.I would never
attempt a long run on the Tonto trail in the
heat.Springs and creeks need to be
flowing.Late November to March would
be the safest time.Attempting it in
May and June would be foolish.For my
run, the temperature would be perfect, never reaching more than 60 degrees.

Recently, marathon runner Margaret Bradley
died during a run on the Tonto Trail, just east of
South Kaibab Trail, in the Cremation Creek
Drainage.This 24-year-old University of Chicago
medical student attempted a 27-mile run down Grandview Trail, across Tonto Trail, and up South Kaibab.A few months earlier Bradley had placed 31st of all women at the Boston
Marathon 3:04:54.She was ill-prepared
and attempted it on July 9, 2004, in the heat of the summer.She only took with her two water bottles,
some fruit, and three protein bars.At
that time of the year all the seasonal water sources were dry.Temperatures in the Cremation Creek Drainage
likely reached 120 degrees.Her coach
later said, "I think growing up in New England and living in Chicago, she didn't have
an appreciation for the heat there."Halfway into the run, she and her companion, Brian, ran low on water and
decided to separate.Brian stayed in
some shade and Margaret went on to get help.Apparently when she reached Cremation Creek, she decided to hike down
the drainage toward the river instead continuing up the trail just a couple
more miles to South Kaibab.After 14 hours, Brian made it out of the
canyon , but Margaret, far off the trail was found dead two days later.A memorial
10K is now held in Chicago
to remember her.

North Rim to IndianGarden
(miles 0-19.2)

After a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my family, I
packed up my car, bid goodbye and started the drive south to the North
Rim.I made good time and arrived in
six hours, just after midnight.I
experienced lonely feelings of isolation.The trailhead parking lot was empty and I had not seen any cars on the
highway to the canyon since Fredonia.I
was really on my own.

I attempted to get some rest in my car at the trailhead, but
sleep wouldn’t come.Finally I decided
to get an early start.Why not instead
take a nap on the trail tomorrow night when I would really be sleepy?I gathered my things and checked the
temperature.It was above freezing, so I
decided to leave my warmest clothes behind.At 2:00 a.m., I started my run down the North Kaibab trail.This was my 10th time running down the trail in the past 18
months, so I was becoming very familiar with every turn.

Near the bridge over RoaringSpringCanyon, I took out my
mini-recorder and said, “Feeling real good – strong and rested.Going down, the only noise that I can hear is
the breeze through the trees.The stars
are out.Orion is blazing overhead.I can see the dark rim against the starlit
sky.The rim gets higher and higher,
covering the stars as I get deeper.It
is pleasant.I’ll turn my tunes on to
give me some company.It is taking a
little while to get used to this pack. I’m taking it kind of slow on this upper
section.I don’t want to do anything
stupid.It is going to be a long, long
day.It looks like it will be a
beautiful day.”

My junk on the table
at the Roaring Spring house

I stayed right on schedule, arriving at Cottonwood
Campground at 3:30 a.m. and at Phantom Ranch at 4:55 a.m.When I reached the house below Roaring
Spring, I shed my jacket, hat, and gloves.It was getting warm.At
Cottonwood Campground, I planned to stash some food for the return trip in one
of the campground metal containers, but I was dismayed to discover that somehow
the bag had fallen out of my pack.(I
later found it in my car.)This was
troubling, but I knew that I could buy some more food in the afternoon at
Hermits Rest at the South Rim.I
continued on and really enjoyed my run through The Box, along BrightAngelCreek.Some hikers were stirring at Phantom Ranch,
getting ready for the day ahead, but the trail ahead of me was dark and
quiet.

When I reached the silver bridge over the Colorado River, I
recorded:“I’m over the Colorado River (can hear the noise of the river).I look down to the river and it is black as
black can be, you can’t see a thing down there.Quite a contrast with a few weeks ago when the full moon was out and I
could see the whole canyon and the river flowing…It feels like it is about 50 degrees, a
little chill, but nothing bad.Just a
real pleasant temperature for a run.”

My climb up the trail to IndianGarden
went well.I didn’t see anyone on the
trail.As usual, the temperature
dropped as I entered the drainage before IndianGarden
but I knew it would warm up once I ran out of the drainage.I drank plenty and filled both my water
bottles.For the next 55 miles or so I
would have to filter water from creeks along the way.

IndianGarden to Hermits Rest (mile 19.2-38.6)

As I left IndianGarden I almost ran right
into a deer.It wasn’t startled and
didn’t run away.I soon arrived at the
West Tonto Trail.It was my first experience on the trail and it was so good to be off of
the high-traffic mule trails.I started
to really have a blast running away from the developed region of the canyon,
out into the remote untamed country.I
turned off my flashlight at 7:00 a.m.The magnificent colors of the canyon started to fill my eyes.Clouds had rolled in during the past hour.

The Battleship (ridge
between IndianGarden and Horn Creek)

At 7:19 a.m. I pulled out my recorder and said, “I’m nearing
Horn Creek.Boy, running on this Tonto Trail is just like heaven!It is so good to get away from the corridor
trails with their mule stuff.This trail
is soft and technical.There is a lot of
brush on the side, but because I have my long pants on, it isn’t a
problem.It gives you a desolate feeling.There is nothing here.The little trees still have some leaves on,
but they are golden and beautiful.The Tonto Trail weaves in and out of drainages and rolls up and
down.Up above I can see the rim
including the remnants of a mining operation – probably the uranium mine that
now has polluted the water here.The red
rock is gorgeous as the sun starts to cast light this way.Looking down is an amazing sight!The gorge, the cliffs with water stains.The contrast of green and red.This is amazing!”

When I reached Horn Creek, I was very surprised to see
someone camping there.They were still
asleep in their tent.I hoped that they
weren’t drinking the radioactive water that the guidebooks warn you
against.The silence in this canyon was
astonishing.At times I would stop just
to listen to nothing.It was peaceful
stillness.No wind, no birds, just the
sound of blood pumping in my body.

The Colorado
River comes into view

I reached Salt Creek (mile 26.5) at 8:44 a.m.There was some water running in the
creek.I still had a water bottle almost
full, so I didn’t stop to pump water yet.I would wait until Monument Creek.As the trail went away from the drainage, it came much closer to the
Colorado River presenting me with stunning views.At 9:18 a.m. I laughed with delight into my
recorder:“The Colorado
River came into view with a beautiful gorge heading west.It’s just amazing.The cliffs are steep down into the
gorge.Up here on the Tonto Trail it is peaceful and cool.I’m just having a wonderful time!The rays of light are appearing and the blue
sky is coming out.I’m not moving very
fast because there is just so much to see.If I run fast, I start missing things.This is just incredible!Wow!I’m looking down into the
gorge.Oh, Wow!I’m getting out on the edge a little
closer.I can see the Colorado
River meandering down there about 1,000 feet down.”

I continued on and soon ran into another human, a guy
backpacking toward me.I really startled
him when I called out a greeting.He
wondered where I was coming from.I
explained that I started at the North Rim early in the morning.He was impressed and said I was making very
good time.He had just come up from
Granite Rapids and told me that I would have a great view of them around the
next bend.We wished each other well
and I continued my run to the west.

Desert Bighorn Sheep
with Colorado River and Granite Rapids in the
background

As Granite Rapids came into view, I pulled out my camera to
set up for a picture.To my delight, a
desert bighorn sheep appeared on the trail ahead.It didn’t fear me at all and started to
approach me.It circled around me and
came into position with the river in the background.I snapped the amazing picture above.Wow!I
thanked the sheep for the great photo and it pranced away on the ridge.Can it get any better than this?

The sun started to peak over the rim but the temperature
continued to be very pleasant for running.For some reason my shoulder started to hurt quiet a bit, like it was
partially separated.This was puzzling
because I had not taken any falls.I
guessed that the constant jarring from running must have pulled something.Well, there was nothing I could do except put
up with the pain and try to restrict its movement.(In a few hours it really wasn’t a problem
anymore.)

Monument Creek bed

As I was descending into Monument Creek (mile 29.9), I could
see some backpackers on the other side.I took a long stop at the creek to filter water, eat, and fix a
gaiter.I was distressed to discover
that my second flask of Hammer Gel was missing.I hoped that I wouldn’t run low on food.Peace and quiet was disappearing because I was nearing the zone that
allowed planes and helicopters to fly over the canyon.As I ran on the other side of the creek, I
again saw the backpackers.They were
taking pictures by the huge monolith that Monument Creek got its name for.I ran down to them and said hi.There were six of them and they were all
speaking German.I had them take a
picture of me (it didn’t turn out), and then I continued up a significant climb
out of MonumentCreekCanyon.

View down Monument
Creek to Granite Rapids

As I neared the Hermit Trail, I saw a group of young
backpackers resting on a ridge.They
watched me as I ran up a hill.I’m sure
I was an odd sight, a runner coming from east with only a small pack.We exchanged greetings and I explained that
I had come from the North Rim.They had
just come down from Hermits Rest on the South Rim.They wondered where I was heading.I explained that I was going up to the rim
and then going to head back to the North Rim.They looked at me with stunned looks, trying to comprehend what I was
saying.I didn’t stay long and ran on
ahead.

Looking down toward
Hermit Rapids

I arrived at Hermit Trail (mile 32.2) at 9:55 a.m.I decided to stash my pack behind a boulder
so I wouldn’t have to haul it up to the rim.As I pushed on ahead up the steep Hermit Trail, I started to worry.This is typical during a long run.I will worry about silly things.My worry was whether the kids on the ridge
had seen me stash my day pack.What if
they went and took it away?I was now up
too far to turn back.I should have kept
it with me.It had my warm clothes, the
food I needed for the return trip and my flashlights.I considered that it was foolish for me to
be going up to the rim and back without a flashlight.I had plenty of time before dusk but what if
I twisted an ankle coming down? I vowed
to be more careful in the future, making sure I always had emergency items with
me.

View on Hermit Trail

The Hermit Trail was an interesting experience.I can’t say that I really enjoyed it.It was a lot of work.The trail was very rugged and unmaintained.There
was plenty of boulder hopping and route-finding, looking for the next
cairn.Some sections were nice, but
there wasn’t much running happening.

Halfway up Hermit
Trail

The views were not as impressive as Bright Angel because the
trail took you deep into a side canyon that covered views of the canyon
below.I ran into many backpackers
making their way down the trail and even some day hikers as I came closer to
the top.It was hard work.

View from Hermits
Rest

Hermits Rest to IndianGarden
(miles 38.6-72.8)

Finally I reached the top, Hermits Rest (mile 38.6) at 2
p.m.There were probably about 50 people
at the top.It was chilly on the
rim.I found a snack shop and quickly
bought a Coke, a danish, a muffin, and a candy
bar.There were some chairs near a
warm fireplace in the gift shop, so I took advantage of the warmth as I ate
some snacks.I must have looked like a
terrible mess.My stop was quick.Too quick.I forgot to call my wife -- something else to worry about.I remembered that I forgot when I was about a
half mile back down the trail.

Hermit Trail along a
cliff

Now it was a race against time.I needed to get back down to find my pack
before dark set in.It was a long tough
descent.I tried hard to keep a good
pace going.With relief, I found my pack
undisturbed at 4:45 p.m.I now had
everything I needed to continue my adventure.As I thought about the trip up and back to Hermits Rest, I thought,
“Been there, done that.”I had no desire
to ever do that again.

The sun is setting on
the Grand Canyon

As I swung the pack onto my back, I caught up with some
backpackers who remembered seeing me heading up the trail.I told them the story and they were full of
questions.They were heading to camp at
Hermit Creek.I went on ahead and said I
would see them again.At Hermit Creek
there was a large group of about ten backpackers setting up camp and starting
dinner.I sat down to take a rest and
had fun telling them about my adventure.One lady insisted that I take some food from her.I finally accepted a granola bar.What I secretly wished for was some hot
soup, but they didn’t have any dinner ready yet.They were fascinated with my green
flashlight.I told them that I was going
to run further west to Boucher Creek, about five miles ahead.They hoped to see me when I returned.

Darkness had arrived.I located the Tonto Trail west of Hermit Creek
and all of the backpackers watched my green light disappear above the
creek.The trail was now quite
rugged.It obviously didn’t receive as
much traffic as the Tonto trail to the east.I was truly entering an even more remote
section of the Canyon.I knew that I
needed to be very careful.As the last
light was disappearing, I looked up to a dark ridge above me and saw an amazing
silhouette of a deer walking on the ridge.Wow!The night was quiet.The helicopters were gone.The trail was difficult to follow as it
crossed the drainages.The cairns were
few.My pace was slow because of the
route finding.It was lonely and I
almost turned back several times, but I knew that I needed these extra miles to
reach my 100-mile goal.The trail swung
out close to a cliff above the Colorado River.It was now too dark to see, but I could hear
the roar below.At one point the trail
was pretty narrow along a steep cliff.Finally I arrived at Boucher Creek.

Boucher Creek was named after “the hermit,” Louis Boucher, a
French-Canadian prospector.He operated
a copper mine at Boucher Creek and used to live in the vicinity of Dripping
Springs. His camp at Boucher Creek consisted of a stone cabin (a good portion
of which can still be seen), some tents where he would put up guests, a garden,
and an orchardI had no desire to
explore, I just wanted to head back away from this isolated place.

I had a fun trip back to Hermit Creek.Now knowing the route, I ran much
faster.Far off in the distance across
the HermitCreekCanyon,
I noticed a lone flashlight shining toward me.I shined my light back.As I
continued on, I could see the light following my quick progress across the
plateau.I arrived back at Hermit Creek
(mile 56.8) at about 7:15 p.m.The
backpackers were waiting for me.They
said that they kept talking about me and they were anxious to see how I was
doing.I explained that I was now on
mile 56, feeling pooped, but doing fine.It was fun to just sit down and talk with the group for awhile.I wasn’t really worrying about my pace time
anymore.I was over an hour short of my
goal time, but I was doing fine and just wanted to enjoy the experience.I got up and said it was time for me to
return to IndianGarden.My new friends offered me anything I needed, but I assured them that I
would be fine with what I had.“Will you
make it all the way?”“No problem,” I
replied.

As I ran up from the drainage, I discovered that my leg was
covered in cactus needles.They really
hurt.I had to sit down for more than
ten minutes to take out as many of the tiny needles that I could.Ouch!Soon, on my way again, I again noticed that lone flashlight far ahead up
on a hill.I pushed hard to try to
catch up.It is so funny how my energy
level increases when there is something to race against.I did catch up because the light was no
longer moving.I came upon a lone
backpacker, Lyle, who had set up a little camp on the hill.He thought I was the ranger and was probably
nervous because he wasn’t camping in a campground.He explained that he was trying to catch up
to some campers at Monument Creek but his light was going dim and he decided to
stop for the night.I told him that I
was only a runner.He knew what
ultrarunning was and we had a fun conversation.Like the others, he offered me food.I took him up on the offer and ate a
delicious cookie.He asked me to send a
message ahead to his friends at Monument Creek.No problem, I could be the trail messenger.

I arrived at Monument Creek (mile 60.6) again at about 9:30
p.m.I located the campers and asked them
if they were looking for Lyle.They were
very relieved to hear that their friend was fine, camping back a couple
miles.They thanked me for my kindness.I found the creek, pumped some water and
then became very frustrated because I couldn’t find the continuing trail on the
other side.After about ten minutes, I
finally found it.At this point, I was
cold and tired.I decided to head back
to the campground, lie down for awhile and try to regroup.I was at a low point.The ground was hard and I could only stay
still for a couple minutes.One of my
shoes was full of grit so I spent time cleaning my feet.I mixed some drinks (Gatorade and Instant
Breakfast) for the road ahead.After a
very long stop, I finally pulled myself up and climbed out of the MonumentCreekCanyon.

The next eleven miles were rough.At Salt Creek I took a wrong turn and
couldn’t figure out where the trail continued on the other side of the
drainage.After about 15 minutes of
wandering around, I finally decided to go back to a point on the trail that I
was sure about.I arrived at a junction
with some signs and saw what the problem was.The sign said the trail went down and to the right.Because there was no trail down and to the
right, I went up and to the right.It turns
out that the correct trail was down and to the left.I guess in the light you could see that the
trail did wind down and to the right, but in the dark, you could only see it
heading to the left.That was very
frustrating.Oh well.I soon found water in the creek and stopped
to pump some more.The next seven miles
were hard.My stomach shut down and
refused to accept any more Gatorade.I
tried every trick I could think to get my stomach working again.My energy level was going down fast.I threw up once, but that didn’t help.Finally, I discovered that drinking Instant
Breakfast worked fine.Little, by
little, I started to feel better.

Plateau Point

I made the “run” out to Plateau Point in order to get
additional distance for my 100-mile goal. It was very comforting to see the
lights of the South Rim again, high up in the sky.When I arrived back at IndianGarden
(mile 72.8) at about 3 a.m., I was still in pretty rough shape still
bonking.I considered my options.I wasn’t feeling good enough to attack more
miles of the Tonto trail to the east.I finally decided that I would head directly
to Phantom Ranch down BrightAngelTrail.This would cut out a few miles off my planned
route, but I could instead tack on some miles on the flat trails at the North
Rim to meet my 100-mile goal.I felt
good about that idea.I could run the
West Tonto Trail on another day.

IndianGarden to the finish

Little by little, I started to feel better as I headed down Devil’s
Corkscrew and then ran along the River Trail toward Phantom Ranch.I arrived at Phantom Ranch (mile 78) at about
6 a.m.I called my wife to let her know
that I was doing fine and would crash at a nearby motel when I finished.

OK, I knew what was left, the huge climb up North Kaibab.Dawn arrived as I tried to make progress
through The Box.Finally, I was so
sleepy that I stopped to rest.I quickly
fell asleep several times, but only for about one minute each time.Finally, I woke up to the sound of feet
running on the trail.I got up and
greeted a couple guys who were running a double crossing.My mind was so sleepy that I had great
difficulty explaining where I had come from.They asked if I was doing OK, and I explained that now I was just
sleepy.They ran on ahead and I tried
my best to keep up with them for about a mile, but then had to back off.

I wanted to avoid the “death march” mode, so I slowed down,
looked around, and tried to enjoy the rest of the trip.I was fascinated by the layers of rocks in
the cliffs as I ascended.I used those
layers to track my progress.Near
Roaring Spring, a woman came running up the trail pretty fast.I was impressed.She stopped to walk with me and hear about my
crazy adventure.She was doing a double
crossing with a group of four.She went
on ahead.A guy soon caught up with
me.I kept up with his pace for awhile
and he liked hearing about my escapade.None of these runners had any clue where Hermits Trail was, so I did my
best to explain.

Up and up I went.The
first two runners greeted me again coming down below Supai
Tunnel.The other two runners met me
again with only a mile to go.The guy
said that he would keep thinking about how many miles I had accomplished as he
returned to the South Rim.

From North Rim,
looking down to Roaring Spring

Finally, the trailhead arrived.After cleaning up, eating and drinking
plenty, and getting a high-powered pain killer in my system, I put on a winter coat
and headed out again on the North Rim to do a few remaining miles to round up
the adventure to 100-miles.I enjoyed
looking down into the canyon and marveled at the distance that I had covered
over the past 36 hours.That is a long
time, but I’ve concluded that it is a good time for a self-supported, solo
100-miler in the Grand Canyon.There was plenty of route-finding and amazing
views to slow down the pace.Also, it
took extra time finding water sources and filtering water.I also really enjoyed stopping to talk with
the backpackers along the way.I had
reached my goal.I had accomplished a
double-crossing that probably is a first in history.There was one casualty – my voice.Congestion settled in so bad that I couldn’t
talk for the next 24 hours.It was
pretty amusing trying to order food at the McDonalds drive-through in
Kanab.I could only whisper as I checked
into the motel.